Category Archives: Uncategorized

Recently I reread a couple of early Len Deighton novels – the Ipcress File and Funeral in Berlin – which I ‘d picked up cheaply online. I always thought that Len Deighton was underrated as teller of spy stories as … Continue reading →

I have an interest in Egyptology, or more importantly the impact of the re discovery of ancient Egypt on the culture of late nineteenth and early twentieth century Europe and America, from patent medicines with vaguely pharaonic packaging through buildings … Continue reading →

While we were in the Kimberley, I read a book – The woman in the library by Sulari Gentill. Like a lot of my recreational reading it’s a murder mystery, but this one got under my skin a bit. Most … Continue reading →

Off and on I’ve been puzzling over Henry Thomas Hill, who was J’s great^n grand parent who appeared with his wife Anne in Castlemaine in 1848. His history prior to then has been a puzzle to me and is hopelessly … Continue reading →

Back at the end of June I tweeted a link to a story from South Africa about the looting of the Avalon cemetery in Soweto, and that’s certainly one view of how cemeteries end. But there’s another one. Australia, and … Continue reading →

I’ve written before about the nineteenth century use of abortifacients – in an age without reliable contraception unwanted pregnancy was a risk for women, especially unmarried women. One of the most common remedies was pennyroyal, often sold in pill form … Continue reading →

Before the pandemic I’d played about with family history  on hot days in January, but it was only with the pandemic that I started to play with it seriously, and it’s brought a number of puzzles, one of which was … Continue reading →

I have long been fascinated by the events of the Russian revolutions of 1917 in February and October of that year, but over the years I’ve come to realise that that the collapse of the Austro Hungrian Empire at the … Continue reading →

I recently replied to a tweet from @wmarybeard about diaries and the demise of the Cambridge University diary. And that got me thinking about paper diaries and why we use them. All my professional life I’ve used a diary to … Continue reading →

Following on from my post yesterday on how trains services in country Victoria are actually better than they were in 1880 and 1905, I thought I’d look at the comparative costs. Both the 1905 Bradshaw and 1880 Victorian Railways helpfully … Continue reading →